After nearly 20 years leading Focus on the Family, President Jim Daly has announced the ministry has begun the search for its next leader, launching what is expected to be a 12- to 18-month succession process ahead of the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2027.
According to The Christian Post, the transition is being planned from a position of strength rather than necessity, with Daly emphasizing that now is the right time to prepare the next generation of leadership.
“My core belief was it’s good to get new faces, new energy, younger leadership in to kind of speak to the 30-, 40-somethings now about what they’re facing with marriage and parenting,” Daly said. “I’m going to be turning 65 here. It’s time to start looking for the next-gen leadership.”
Founded in 1977 by Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family has become one of the most recognized evangelical ministries in America, reaching millions through radio, podcasts, books, counseling services and family-focused outreach. Today, the Colorado Springs-based ministry also supports foster care and adoption, pregnancy resource centers, parenting initiatives and churches around the world.
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Daly said he wants to leave the ministry on a firm foundation for whoever follows.
“There is no crisis, which is wonderful,” he said. “We’re not under any kind of situation of moral collapse or any other thing. Finances are good at Focus. … If I were coming in as the next leader, it’s the kind of situation I’d want to walk into, where things are going well.”
During his tenure, Daly expanded the ministry’s practical outreach alongside its long-standing emphasis on biblical teaching. Having grown up in foster care himself, he helped strengthen Focus on the Family’s foster care and adoption ministries, explaining, “I was a foster child, so that was born out of that pain and that experience that I had.”
As the board searches for a successor, Daly said the ministry remains committed to the biblical convictions that have guided it for nearly five decades.
“We’re looking for someone who is true to those biblical principles that Focus started on almost 50 years ago,” he said. “Even if the culture is blowing hard at what we believe, staying true to that — calm, kind, loving.”
Daly also hopes the transition itself will honor Christ by demonstrating humility and servant leadership.
“The outgoing person really sets the tone,” he said. “To make it healthy, I think deference is critical.”
Reflecting on the months ahead, Daly said his greatest desire is not to preserve his own legacy, but to strengthen the ministry for the future.
“I’m very determined to want to demonstrate this in a way that people go, ‘Wow, that was really well done.'”
As Focus on the Family enters its next chapter, Daly leaves behind a ministry positioned to continue encouraging families, defending biblical truth and pointing people to Christ for generations to come.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
